Underrated: Adam Jones

Since then, he's added another arrest to his resume leading some to backtrack somewhat.

For Bengals fans, it's as though Jones is our unruly 10-year-old child. He keeps making mistakes, yet we continue to fight in his corner because we know he's got some good inside him.

He still has a lot to give on the field, and you'll struggle to find a player in Cincinnati who cares more about the game than him.

If you cast your mind back to the first playoff loss to Houston and Andre Johnson's TD, you'll remember it was Jones on the coverage. As much as it hurt to concede the points, it was pleasing to see how upset Jones was. It showed he was really putting everything into this.

That was reflected in his performance last year. He doubled his game time, and he doubled his production.

Despite his legal troubles, Jones is someone the Bengals want on this roster. He plays his role, and he plays it well.

Overrated: Brandon Tate

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Brandon Tate re-signed with the Bengals back in March causing an outbreak of head-scratching.

Tate has underwhelmed in Cincinnati, and while he now holds the franchise record for punt return yards, that really says more about how bad the Bengals have been in the return game than how good he has been.

Tate is entering his third season with the Bengals. Last season, he caught 13 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown, averaged 24.8 yards on 32 kickoff returns and 8.9 yards on 21 punt returns. He has a Bengals career average of 10.1 yards on punt returns, currently tops in club history.

He's serviceable, and there's nothing wrong with that.

His offensive potential is often highlighted as his extra attribute, but he's barely made an impact in Cincinnati. With the receiving core freshly stacked, the justification for keeping him is evaporating.

Underrated: Rey Maualuga

Bringing back Rey Maualuga on a two-year deal was a controversial decision.

He's the proverbial scapegoat in Cincinnati and takes a lot of flak from fans and pundits alike.

But, re-signing him was an underrated move.

Here's why.

The Bengals linebacking core has gone through a lot of changes of late. Vontaze Burfict is a great addition, but he's not ready to lead in his second year. James Harrison is a veteran who needs time to adapt to a different system in Cincinnati. Behind them, there's a fair amount of youth.

If you pull Maualuga out, you lose the philosophy of that unit. You lose the cohesiveness.

Maualuga is the bridge. Two years from now, his job will be done, and he'll probably move on.

His play may not be spectacular, but for now, the Bengals just want him to hold everything together, rather than shine.

Underrated: Terence Newman

He may have been a lightning rod in his first season, but many were thankful to have him in year two.

Terence Newman was a steady and reliable corner for the Bengals in 2012, racking up 75 tackles in total.

He filled in admirably when injuries piled up and made fewer mistakes than the previous year.

With Dre Kirkpatrick's status still up in the air, bringing Newman back is a smart move by the Bengal's front office (especially given Jones' recent troubles).

It may not carry much weight on the field, but he's also a class act and a very funny guy, too. Check out Dave Dameshek's podcasts and videos with him. He's one of the NFL's true good guys and a credit to the roster.